


Duckling

by mayawrites95 (mayarox95)



Series: Wish Upon A Star [160]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff and Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-01
Updated: 2015-08-01
Packaged: 2018-05-30 11:28:48
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,044
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6422155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayarox95/pseuds/mayawrites95
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prompt: Somehow Emma runs into the Swans (the ones that gave her up when she was three) and Killian is there to comfort her?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Part I

Things had been quiet in Storybrooke for the last few months, since the darkness had been vanquished from her. Emma wasn’t enough of an optimist to hope that they finally would all be able to live the ‘Happy Ever After’ she so badly craved, so she knew it was only a matter of time before the next villain struck the land.

All she wanted to do was cuddle with her pirate and drink hot cocoa. Was that really too much to ask?

Her parents had been relieved to get her back, but Emma would be lying if she said she wished for a few moments where she could just escape all of it; the town, the people, and the duties. She was so tired of being the Saviour, day in and out, and all she wanted was a break from all of it.

So it was probably the combination of it all which lead her to bring it up with Killian.

They had been lying in their bed at the apartment she had finally gotten for herself after she was free of the dark magic, and had almost immediately asked him to move in with her, and he had kissed her in return, saying that there was nothing he had wanted more. She had ensured that there was a bedroom for Henry on the nights he stayed with them.

“Do you ever think about leaving?” she asked him, nonchalantly, and she could feel him freeze around her. Quickly, she said, “Not like that! I love it here, Killian. I meant, do you ever think about seeing the rest of this realm? Taking a break from all of it and just going on a holiday somewhere?”

“Sometimes,” Killian admitted, pulling her closer to him. “A nice getaway somewhere.”

“Just us,” she said, snuggling into her boyfriend more, “And maybe Henry.”

He grinned, “Sounds like a plan, Love.”

It took a bit more planning than that, but it was how the three of them found themselves headed towards New York once more. Despite living there for a year, she and Henry had barely had time to do the tourist things in the city, and she couldn’t help but want to introduce Killian to all the things there. It was the best way for him to see all the things the modern world had to offer that Storybrooke did not.

And so they travelled to the city by plane. Killian had looked absolutely terrified, but had calmed down once she held his hand. Once he got used to the height, he started chatting amicably with her about how familiar it was to sailing in certain aspects,

Henry had excitedly dragged them to the Statue of Liberty, whereas she had guided them (with insistence) to a broadway show; something which did not contain a villain they had already faced. Killian had been intrigued by the concept of a Museum, so she made sure to take him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. She had seen him draw several times, and even found a few portraits of herself.

It was the third day on the trip when she saw them. And to be honest, she wasn’t even all that sure it was them. Emma had been so young when she lived with the Swans, but there was something so familiar about the elderly couple, and she knew it was true when they gave their name at the restaurant they were waiting to get a seat at.

She felt like she couldn’t breathe. It was like all the oxygen had been sucked out of the room, and her heart began to beat irregularly.

“Is everything alright, Love?” Killian asked her softly, as he noticed the change in her demeanour. It was her turn to go up to the hostess and give her name, but she couldn’t.

Henry looked at her worriedly, “Mom?”

There was only one thing on her mind and that was doing what she tended to do best in the past; run.

She bolted straight out of the restaurant, and didn’t stop despite hearing Killian call out to her.

Emma paused as she reached an alleyway. She took in deep breathes, as she struggled to calm herself. As Killian caught up with her, Henry not all that far behind, he gave her a concerned look.

“Emma?” he asked her gently. “What happened, Lass?”

“It was them,” she whispered. “The couple at the restaurant.”

“The ones who coincidentally shared a last name with you?” he asked, confused. “What about them?”

“It’s not a coincidence,” she admitted, as Henry took her hand. “I was found on the side of the road; well that’s what August claimed. A couple took us in as foster children, but August already had a last name; Booth. I didn’t, so the couple gave me their name. They were going to adopt me, but then Mrs Swan had her own child, and they couldn’t afford to keep us both. Or they didn’t want to. And they gave me back to the system. No one ever wanted me.”

She tried to hold back the tears, but she felt herself growing emotional irrationally.

Killian immediately scooped her up into his arms, while Henry rubbed her back.

“None of them deserved to have you in their lives,” Killian told her tenderly. “You are a ball of brightness, bringing nothing but happiness into the lives of those you touch.”

“You broke the Dark Curse and gave me a family,” Henry told her, “All I wanted before that was one of those large families where you had so many relatives that you didn’t know what to do with them, but now I’m living that. Do you know how cool it is that you’re dating Captain Hook, my parents are Snow White and Prince Charming, and my other Mother is the Evil Queen? I have the best family ever.”

“You saved me from the darkness that was consuming me,” Killian told her softly. “You are the reason I have something worth fighting for. Emma, you deserve everything. You deserve the stars, the moon, and more importantly, you deserve to be loved. And there are so many people willing to fight for you. That family there lost their chance to have someone as brilliant as you in their life.”

She let out a few more tears, before she held the both of them tightly to her.

She might have been Emma Swan, the orphan, lost girl, and abandoned before, but now she was none of those things.

And she was lucky to have a great family who loved her dearly. One unbeknownst to her that would soon be expanding.


	2. Part II

“You can do this, Emma,” Killian said with an encouraging smile.

They were sitting at a table back at the restaurant which Emma had run out of not less than ten moments ago, and currently, her boyfriend and son were trying to encourage her to go and talk to her foster parents so she could get the closure she needed.

“I’m scared,” she admitted softly, “What if they don’t even remember me? It’s been so long since I was even in their care.”

“If they don’t, then it’s their loss,” Henry said, holding her hand gently. “You’re kinda awesome, Mom, so they’re the ones missing out.”

She smiled at both of them, as she felt her stomach tossing and turning. Taking in a deep breath she said to herself, “Okay, you can do this, Emma.”

If Henry or Killian thought anything of her self-encouraging words, they said nothing about it.

She stood up carefully and walked over to the table where the couple was sitting. As she approached them, the both of them looked up at her expectantly.st

“This is going to sound strange,” Emma said softly to them, “But about twenty nine years ago you took in a young pair of foster kids; a boy and a young baby girl.”

“Emma?” Mr Swan asked softly, while his wife let out a gasp. “Is that you?”

She nodded slightly, linking her fingers together, unsure of what to do next.

“Why don’t you sit down, dear?” Mrs Swan asked her tenderly. “So we can catch up.”

Emma pulled out a chair from another table, as she sat down at them. She looked over at Killian who simply grinned at her.

“Who’s the handsome gentleman?” her once foster mother asked.

“My boyfriend, Killian,” Emma said with a small smile, “And the other is my son, Henry.”

“Sounds like you have a lovely family now,” Mr Swan commented. “I must ask, how did you recognize us? You weren’t even two when we…” his voice trailed off.

Mrs Swan looked slightly upset at that, but Emma didn’t question it.

“I heard you give your name to the hostess, and I think it triggered a memory in my head,” Emma admitted. “I hope you don’t mind that I came over and talked to you.”

“Of course not!” Mrs Swan said quickly. After pausing for a moment, she said, “We looked for you. After we gave you up. It was probably several years after, but the case worker said you were in a home at the moment, so we decided to leave it at that. We didn’t want to disrupt your life any more than we already had.”

“Why did you give me up?” Emma couldn’t help but blurt out.

The couple both looked upset, as Mr Swan took his wife’s hand in his, “I lost my job a little after your second birthday. They were downsizing the plant that I worked at. We had enough at the moment to get by, but then we found out we were expecting another child. We didn’t have enough to sustain ourselves. I tried for weeks to find another job, but it seemed like no one was hiring. We wanted to keep you, Emma, we just couldn’t afford to have two children and raise them.”

“You were such a bright little girl,” her once foster mother said, “You were so filled with life, and never misbehaved. We were so sure that we were doing the right thing for everyone, and that you would find another couple who could give you exactly what you deserved.”

“I didn’t,” Emma said softly, looking down, “I was tossed around for years before I finally ran away. No one wanted me,” her voice broke softly.

Mrs Swan looked heartbroken at that, “I’m so sorry, Emma,” she said softly, placing a hand over hers. “If we had known that would happen, we would have done everything we could to raise you.”

She shrugged, unsure of what else to say. “It worked out in the end,” she said, gesturing to where Killian and Henry were sitting down.

“I’m glad,” Mr Swan said meaningfully. “You deserve to be happy, Emma. You deserve everything in the world. I just wish we had been the ones to have given it to you.”

She was about to say something, when the waitress brought the food to their table. “I’ll let you eat,” Emma told them. “It really was nice seeing you again.”

She rose to leave before Mrs Swan stopped her. She quickly scribbled down some numbers on a napkin and handed it to her, “I would love to hear from you every now and then, Emma,” she told her earnestly. “Don’t be a stranger, alright?”

Emma nodded, blinking heavily. “I won’t. I’ll come say bye before we leave.”

The couple smiled at her, and she walked back to her table.

“How did it go?” Henry asked eagerly.

She nodded, “Well,” she said simply, “Thank you both for pushing me. I needed that.”

Killian kissed her cheek softly, “I’m glad you did. You deserved to at least talk to them.”

She couldn’t help but feel extremely lucky. As they finished up their food, which Killian had ordered for her while she was gone, the three of them went to say goodbye to her old foster family. She made introductions and as they talked, Killian held her waist the entire time. The days of her being a lost girl were long gone, and despite it taking nearly twenty eight years for her life to change, Emma could honestly say she wouldn’t change a thing.


End file.
